Vermilion: word porn

Vermilion. I love that word. There's just something very rich in it's texture and nature that I love. I like the sound of it, the way it flows off the tongue...I even like what it means: An opaque orangish red pigment, similar to scarlet, but more orange and less red. I like that word too -- opaque (not transparent) and while we're talking about words we like...I also like: verisimilitude (of being true or real).  All of these words are great words. All words I had heard before, and used of course but not in many moons.

I recently said to a friend that I was trying to find a word to describe Nick Rhodes' hair colour in the 80's (85ish) but didn't want to use something quite as boring as red...or orange. Because truthfully it wasn't either colour. Not exactly anyway. She threw back "vermilion" at me and I fell in love, because like Nick...it is rich and full of texture, and very unique.  I mean really, you can't use a boring word to describe someone like Nick. He's not a boring person, nor is his hair.

I'm using photos of Nick Rhodes...and his vermilion hair, to remind myself later when I go to review these blogs, in a week or 6 months or a year from now how much I am loving writing and re-immersing myself in the vastness and my voraciousness of the English language. How it is diverse, and descriptive, and there are so many words out there that are so very descriptive rather than the basic every day ones. For example instead of something like (just for example of course -- Let it be known...this is going to be weird for me...I'm NOT a "Nick girl" by any stretch, although I think he's brilliant): "Nick stared at her affectionately, with his green eyes shining, gently he took her hand, smiled and softly said 'You realize of course with this snow...we're stuck here for a while. We may as well get comfy.' as he sat on the couch." Instead...one could say something like: "Nick gazed toward her adoringly, his sea-foam green eyes twinkled as he nervously and delicately took her hand into his. A sweet smile gently crossed his lips as he softly said 'We're going to be stranded here for some time, the snow is horrendous out there. I can't imagine anyone coming up here this evening. Perhaps it's best we make ourselves comfortable.' as he lead her to the chesterfield and sat down." Yes okay it's wordy, but I think I'd rather have "sea-foam green" eyes stare at me instead of the plain ones wouldn't you? 

It's the little things; I have learned; can help in the visualization of the reading. Not always mind you...but it can paint a much more vivid picture for the reader, and as a reader I find I enjoy a novel or even a blog more when it's more descriptive. That way I can visualize the people, places, characters, situations in my head and decide for myself what it all looked like, sounded like, felt like. Perhaps I'm making things more difficult than they need to be when I read a book. I realize sometimes one can get lost in the details, bogged down and drone on. But the trick is; I guess; to know when the 'devil is in the details' and when it's not. I can respect the fact that some people grow impatient with story telling when there's too much exposition. I guess that's the trick of being a good story teller, knowing exactly when you've written enough to let your reader's mind wander and create environments and ideals of your story on their own. 


One Last Glimpse,


~K